A community in western Massachusetts is preparing to say goodbye to Jacob "Jake" Galliher, an airman who was killed after a U.S. Air Force Osprey crashed during a training mission off Japan last month.
A wake for Galliher, 24, will be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday at St. Agnes Catholic Community on Main Street in Dalton.
Funeral services for the 24-year-old will take place at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Agnes Catholic Community.
"Our hearts are filled with love and loss as we honor our beloved Jacob today and tomorrow," the family wrote in part in a statement Tuesday. "We are beyond grateful for the outpouring of support from those who loved Jake most, from throughout the Berkshires, from his Air Force and military family, from across Massachusetts and from around the world."
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Galliher's body arrived at Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee on Friday.
The CV-22B Osprey carrying eight American service members crashed on Nov. 29 off Yakushima island during the training mission, killing all eight.
The Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter, but during flight it can rotate its propellers forward and cruise much faster like an airplane.
Galliher is a Pittsfield native and 2017 graduate of Taconic High School. He leaves behind a wife and two sons, a 2-year-old and a 6-week-old, "as well as his loving family in Lanesborough," said Pittsfield police in a social media post earlier this month.
"The way he has been honored since his tragic loss means so much to his family and we know will help his young children better understand the lasting impact their dad had on everyone he met," said the family on Tuesday. "We will love and honor Jacob, always."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
